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Ernest Everett Just (August 14, 1883 – October 27, 1941) was a pioneering black U.S. biologist. Just spent his adult life collecting, classifying, and caring for his marine specimens. He believed that scientists should study whole cells under normal conditions, rather than simply breaking them apart in a laboratory setting. Just's primary legacy is his recognition of the fundamental role of the cell surface in the development of organisms. Just's principal biographer is Kenneth Manning, professor of rhetoric at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Image File history File links Ernest_Everett_Just. ... is the 226th day of the year (227th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1883 (MDCCCLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... is the 300th day of the year (301st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... Motto: (traditional) In God We Trust (official, 1956–present) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City Official language(s) None at the federal level; English de facto Government Federal Republic  - President George W. Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence - Declared - Recognized... A biologist is a scientist devoted to and producing results in biology through the study of organisms. ... There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ... “MIT” redirects here. ...

Early life

Just was born in Charleston, South Carolina in 1898 to parents Charles Frazier Just Jr. and Mary Matthews Just. His father and grandfather Charles Sr. were dock builders. When he was four years old, both died. Just’s mother became the sole supporter of him, his younger brother and his younger sister. Mary Matthews Just taught at an African-American school in Charleston to support her family. During the summer, she did back-breaking work in the phosphate mines on James Island. Noticing that there was much vacant land on the island, Mary persuaded several black families to move there to farm. The town they founded was eventually named Maryville in her honor. Nickname: Motto: Aedes Mores Juraque Curat (She cares for her temples, customs, and rights) Location of Charleston in South Carolina. ... Year 1898 (MDCCCXCVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ...

Hoping Just would become a teacher, his mother sent him to an all-black boarding school in Orangeburg, South Carolina at the age of thirteen. Because the schools for blacks in the south were inferior, Just and his mother thought it will be better for him to go the north. At age sixteen, Just enrolled at a Meriden, New Hampshire college-preparatory high school, Kimball Union Academy. In spite of the fact that he was the only black student at Kimball, Just completed the four-year program in only three years and graduated in 1903 with the highest grades in his class. His mother had died during his second year at Kimball. He was only seventeen. Downtown Orangeburg, South Carolina downtown Orangeburg Orangeburg City Hall/Stevenson Municipal Auditorium Orangeburg, also known as The Garden City, is the largest city and county seat of Orangeburg County, South Carolina, United States. ... Plainfield is a town in Sullivan County, New Hampshire, USA. Plainfield includes the village of Meriden, home to Kimball Union Academy, a private preparatory school. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... 1900 (MCMIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Friday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ...

Ernest, after graduating Kimball Union Academy, went on to attend Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. He graduated from Dartmouth in 1907 and was the only student who graduated magna cum laude.^{[citation needed]} Ernest won special honors in botany, history, and sociology and was designated as a Rufus Choate scholar for two years. Dartmouth College is a private, coeducational university located in Hanover, New Hampshire, USA. Incorporated as Trustees of Dartmouth College,[6][7] it is a member of the Ivy League and one of the nine colonial colleges founded before the American Revolution. ... Hanover is a town located on the Connecticut River in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. ... Year 1907 (MCMVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Pinguicula grandiflora Example of a Cross Section of a Stem [1] Botany is the scientific study of plant life. ... Rufus Choate Rufus Choate (October 1, 1799–July 13, 1859), American lawyer and orator, was born at Ipswich, Massachusetts, the descendant of a family which settled in Massachusetts in 1667. ...

Career

Upon graduation from Dartmouth, Just faced the same problems as all black college graduates of his time: no matter how brilliant they were or how high were their grades, it was almost impossible for blacks to become faculty members of white colleges or universities. Just then took what seemed to be the best choices available to him and was appointed to a teaching position at historically-black Howard University in Washington, D.C.. In 1910, he was put in charge of the newly-formed biology department by Wilbur P. Thirkield. In 1912, he became head of the Department of Zoology, a position he held until his death in 1941. Just was soon introduced to Dr. Frank R. Lillie, head of the biology department at the University of Chicago. Lillie, who was also chief of the Marine Biology Lab at Woods Hole, Massachusetts, invited Just to spend the summer of 1909 as his research assistant at Woods Hole. For the next twenty years, Just spent every summer but one at Woods Hole. On 12 June 1912 Ernest married Ethel Highwarden, who taught German at Howard University. They had three children: Margaret, Highwarden, and Maribel. Howard University is a university located in Washington, D.C., USA. An historically black university, Howard was established in 1867 by congressional order and named for Oliver O. Howard. ... For other uses, see Washington, D.C. (disambiguation). ... Year 1910 (MCMX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday [1] of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Wilbur Patterson Thirkield was born on September 25, 1854 in Franklin, Ohio. ... 1912 (MCMXII) was a leap year starting on Monday in the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday in the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... Frank Rattray Lillie (1870 - 1947) was an early American zoologist. ... The University of Chicago is a private university located principally in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago. ... Woods Hole is a census-designated place and village within the town of Falmouth in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, at the extreme southwest corner of Cape Cod, near the island of Marthas Vineyard, and is the site of two famous scientific institutions: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the Marine Biological... is the 163rd day of the year (164th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1912 (MCMXII) was a leap year starting on Monday in the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday in the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ...

In 1915, Just took a leave of absence from Howard to enroll in an advanced academic program at the University of Chicago. That same year, Just, who was gaining a national reputation as an outstanding young scientist, was the first recipient of the NAACP's Spingarn Medal on 12 February 1915. In June 1916, Just received his Ph.D. in experimental embryology, with a thesis on the mechanics of fertilization, from the University of Chicago, becoming one of the handful blacks who had gained this degree from a major university. Year 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday[1] of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), is one of the oldest and most influential hate organizations in the United States. ... The Spingarn Medal is awarded annually by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) for outstanding achievement by a Black American. ... is the 43rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday[1] of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Categories: Biology stubs ...

During the next several years, Just became an internationally respected biologist. At Woods Hole, he conducted thousands of experiments studying the fertilization of the marine mammal cell. His work on small water creatures was highly respected by biologists in Europe. In 1922, Just successfully refuted Jacque Loeb’s theory of artificial parthenogenesis. His first book, Basic Methods for Experiments on Eggs of Marine Mammals, was based on his Woods Hole research. Just eventually published more than 50 scientific papers over 20 years based on his research at Woods Hole. Year 1922 (MCMXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Just, however, became increasingly frustrated because he could not attain an appointment to a major American university. He wanted a position that would provide a steady income and allow him to spend more time with his beloved research. Believing that racial prejudice in his own country was severely restricting him, Just settled for the first time in Europe in January 1929. The same year, he conducted experiments at the zoological station in Naples, Italy. Then, in 1930, he became the first American to be invited to the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute in Berlin, Germany, where several Nobel Prize winners conducted research. Alternate uses: See Naples (disambiguation) Naples (Italian Napoli, Neapolitan Napule, from Greek Νέα-Πόλις, latinised in Neapolis) is the largest town in southern Italy, capital of Campania region. ... Kaiser Wilhelm Institute (in German Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gesellschaft) was the name of a number of scientific institutes in Germany before World War II. After 1945 they were re-organised and renamed as Max Planck Institutes. ... This article is about the capital of Germany. ... The Nobel Prizes (Swedish: ) are awarded for Physics, Chemistry, Literature, Peace, and Physiology or Medicine. ...

Although Just remained employed by Howard University, he spent most of his time in Germany. In 1931, he met a German woman, Hedwig Schnetzler, whom he later married. Beginning in 1933, Just ceased his work when the Nazis begun to take the control of Germany. In 1934, Just conducted most of his work in Italy and at the Sorbonne in Paris. He moved to France permanently in 1938 in poor health and exhausted by constant disagreements with the administration at Howard. Year 1931 (MCMXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1931 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display full 1934 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the capital of France. ... Year 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ...

In 1939, Just published his masterwork, The Biology of the Cell Surface, an important work that summarized his life’s work on small marine mammals. Year 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Death

In 1940 Germany invaded France and Just was imprisoned in a prisoner-of-war camp briefly.^[1] He was rescued by the U.S. State Department and returned to his home country in September 1940. However, Just had been very ill for months prior to his arrest; his condition deteriorated in prison and on the trip home. He was never again well enough to continue to teach at Howard University. Just died of pancreatic cancer on October 27, 1941. Year 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 300th day of the year (301st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ...

Founding of Omega Psi Phi

On November 17, 1911, Just, along with three Howard students (Edgar Amos Love, Oscar James Cooper, and Frank Coleman), established Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. The name Omega Psi Phi was derived from a Greek phrase meaning "friendship is essential to the soul", and became the fraternity's motto. Manhood, scholarship, perseverance, and uplift were adopted as Omega's cardinal principles. 17 November is also the name of a Marxist group in Greece, coinciding with the anniversary of the Athens Polytechnic uprising. ... Year 1911 (MCMXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... The Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated (ΩΨΦ) was founded on a cool Friday evening, November 17, 1911, at Howard University in Washington, D.C. by three undergraduate students and one faculty advisor. ...

References

• Brown, Mitchell, “Faces of Science: African-American in the Sciences,” 1996.
• Kessler, James; Kidd, J.S.; Kidd, Renee; and Morin, Katherine A.; Distinguished African-American Scientists of the 20th Century. Oryx Press: Phoenix, AZ, 1996.
• McKissack, Patrick and Frederick. African-American Scientists. The Millbrook Press: Brookfield, Connecticut, 1994.
• Manning, Kenneth R. Black Apollo of Science: The Life of Ernest Everett Just. Oxford University Press: New York, New York, 1983.
• Yount, Lisa. Black Scientists. Facts on File: New York, 1991.